* The Nats Xtra pre- and post-game shows will be on MASN2, with Orioles Xtra on MASN. The game can be seen on both stations, with announcers from both clubs on a joint broadcast.

ORIOLES UPDATEIt's been a wild ride in Baltimore already this season. After opening the year 6-1 and stirring up more excitement than this franchise had experienced in a decade, the Orioles proceeded to lose eight straight and 22 of 35. They're back in last place in the AL East, and now they're dealing with a rash of injuries.

Second baseman Brian Roberts and first baseman Derrek Lee were each placed on the disabled list this week, Lee with a strained oblique and Roberts with a recurrence of the concussion syndromes that hampered him last season. Roberts has been dealing with recurring headaches since sliding headfirst into first base on Monday, so the clubRead more »

Was it Simon who came into a game at Nats Park last year and then pulled a muscle going after a ball or some such? (If memory serves, the next reliever to enter did not fare well with the hitters and the Nats won.)

I bet O's pitchers are asking to jump up in the rotation to face us… and flying their families in to watch them pitch as this will be the best chance they have of seeing their son pitch a no hitter.At some point we have to break out, right? At some point Enron had go back up, didn't it?

"SCNatsFan said… I bet O's pitchers are asking to jump up in the rotation to face us… and flying their families in to watch them pitch as this will be the best chance they have of seeing their son pitch a no hitter."Well, they're going to be really, really disappointed. The O's will be calling up three struggling, starting pitchers from A ball and start them in the series as a confidence booster.

NatsJack in Florida said… "It's interesting to note that Jason Giambi hadn't had A HIT(!) since April 10 and was hitting .115 going into yesterdays game in Philly.It can happen!"It could, but I don't think Rizzo can orchestrate a trade in time to get Giambi here for the series in Baltimore.

The Joker said… "The Nats couldn't hit a pinata with the bat even if it was the pinata that wore the blindfold instead of the Nats batters."Pinatas are inanimate objects…actually, so are the Nats hitters.

Maybe Riggleman should do what Joe Maddon of the Rays did earlier this season when they were struggling. He had the fans pick out the batting order for one game:http://tinyurl.com/6z7j8lnAt that time, the Rays were 4-8 and weren't hitting that well. The fans picked this order:Sam Fuld – LFJohnny Damon – DHMatt Joyce – RFFelipe Lopez – 3B (that's right, cleanup!)BJ Upton – CFSean Rodriguez – 2BDan Johnson – 1BKelly Shppach – CReid Brignac – SSThe Rays pounded out 13 hits and won 5-2.

Tough calls on the offense but you look at last night on the blown call which cost Jayson Werth a hit how the game could have turned.I think the Nats stack up well against the O's and they got embarrassed last night and in extras against the Yankees.

Either LaRoche is pressing or his hitting really is being affected by his shoulder problem. Whichever it is, a couple days off right now would not hurt him and might actually help. This weekend provides a good opportunity for Riggleman to load up the lineup with bats. Stairs DH, Morse 1B, Nix LF. Save LaRoche for late-inning defensive replacement, if needed. Would Riggleman be smart enough to do this? Based on past experience, probably not.

Sec 3, My Sofa said… "They bought at 271… it's down 100 points, and looks like it is heading to 150.They can't sell now. You have to trust the long-term fundamentals to come back."I don't believe the Nats' investment in kerosene lanterns is going to provide a return.

From New Anonymous to this ThreadThe thought of watching the communized MASN broadcast makes me sick to my stomach. It is so clubby, so smug, and so glib. All pretense of competition between real teams goes out the window, as the two Pretendmen Crews pull punches and offer hollow praise for each other.I'm waiting for the co-broadcast of the next Redskins-Ravens game. Or maybe Phillies-Mets. I think I may be waiting a long time.The MASN co-broadcasts tell us all, very clearly, that the joke here is on us. The enterprise is not about winning, or honest rivalry, or direct competition. It is about creating a safe, no-edges, happy place for MASN, that minimizes the sentiments of the fans and maximizes the money in Angelos's pocket.I will not watch this orgy.

As far as I can tell, Mark Z pretty much refuses to critize or even comment on the hitting coach, Rick Eckstein. I also have read that the Nats management protects him from the press. I find this very strange since usually hitting coaches are the fall guys when a team has pathetic offense for an extended period of time. (Remember when the pitching was a mess and Randy St. Claire was fired?) I have often wondered what qualifications Eckstein has to be a major league hitting coach. I can find no evidence that he ever played professional baseball. I also find it strange that the Nats FO keeps telling the curious that the Nats hitters love Eckstein. On what basis do they like him? He certainly isn't producing any results for them. Maybe Eckstein is getting a pass because of his kidney donation or because he is David Eckstein's brother. The only thing I know for sure is that almost every Nats batter looks pathetic and lost at the plate and someone has some explaining to do.

As if the combined MASN broadcasts are not bad enough already, it seems the Orioles are sending their B team, Jim Hunter and Mike Flanagan. Too bad, because Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer are at least listenable. But I guess even they realize how much of a travesty this combined broadcast crew is and they decided to just skip the whole thing altogether. I suppose we should be glad that the Nats did not decide to counter with their B team of Phil Wood and Debbi Taylor. Count our blessings.

I kind of like Flanagan … more than Palmer. He at least was a pitching coach. What they really need is a bonafide hitting coach as an announcer for this series … hmmmm maybe a guest slot for Frank Robby?

LaRoche isn't killing the team although he is the worst of the bunch. The only guy really hitting right now is Nix. Ramos looks next best. Bernadina looks the same at the plate as last year but good enough to be about third.After that its not pretty.

I also despise the mixed broadcasts. Half the time the guys in the booth are just sharing stories- they should just go out to a bar together and let Charlie and Dave have the game. I hate the Balti-morons and this is just a reminder of how Angelos blackmailed MLB. No matter who is pitching for the o's , he will suddenly have the best game of his entire life and our batters will look deaf, dumb and blind. AND – we will have to hear that horrible OOOO during the national anthem. Too, too cruel.

Last year, the Nats played 9 games in AL ballparks — 3 each in Cleveland, Detroit, and Baltimore. Remember how Riggleman used the DH in those games? Whillie Harris, batting well under the Mendoza line, got 3 starts, Christian Guzman 2, and Alberto Gonzales 1. Michael Morse, the obvious choice at the time, got just 3. Riggleman seemed to like using the DH as a way to keep Zimmerman, Dunn, and Willingham in the lineup while giving them a rest in the field, rather than to add a productive bat to the lineup. It will be interesting to see how he uses the DH this year. I wouldn't mind him giving Stairs or even Bixler a game's worth of at bats, but otherwise Morse and Nix should both be in the game. If only LaRoche could play the field but not hit on nights that Livo or Marquis are pitching. But I guess that's against the rules.

I will watch, but I will watch on mute and listen to the radio broadcast.Actually, I might do this:If you want to watch Duke bball games without the announcers, but just the floor and crowd noise, if you have surround sound, unplug the front speakers. They don't pipe the announcers into the rear ones. I wonder if that works for MASN too.

Maybe Espinosa should bat 3rd in front of Werth. He looks like the only guy who is going to drive in 100 and he has mostly either been at the end or the beginning of the lineup? Behind LaRoche and Ramos tonight? He's a rookie and still learning I suppose that would be too much pressure.- peric